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Court Theatre Presents August Wilson's The Piano Lesson directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson

Chicago, IL- Court Theatre concludes its 54th season with August Wilson's beloved classic The Piano Lesson, directed by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson. The fourth play in Wilson's Century Cycle will run at Court Theatre, 5535 S Ellis Avenue, May 7 - June 7, 2009. The press opening is Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

Master playwright August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play is the 1930s entry in his monumental 20th Century play cycle. A rich family history with origins in slavery is carved into the wood of the piano that could be Boy Willie's ticket to self-sufficiency or Berniece's legacy to her daughter. The Piano Lesson is the story of two siblings' struggle to come to terms with their inheritance and the ghosts of their dead.

"It is always an honor to work on an August Wilson play," says Ron OJ Parson. "My history with The Piano Lesson is extensive and I'm truly thrilled to bring this African-American classic to Court's Hyde Park home."

The cast of The Piano Lesson includes Tyla Abercrumbie (Berniece), Ronald L. Conner (Boy Willie), Allen D. Edge (Avery), Alexis J. Rogers (Grace), A.C. Smith (Doaker), Alfred H. Wilson (Wining Boy), Brian Weddington (Lymon), China Gray (Maretha), and M. Alettie Smith (Maretha).

The designers are Keith Pitts (scenic design), Nick Keenan (sound design), Richard Norwood (lighting design), and Christine Pascual (costume design). Ellen Hay is the production stage manager and Kate Bredeson is the Dramaturg.

August Wilson (Playwright, 1945- 2005) authored Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Fences, Two Trains Running, Jitney, King Hedley II, and Radio Golf. These works explore the heritage and experience of African-Americans, decade-by-decade, over the course of the twentieth century.

Wilson's plays have been produced at regional theaters across the country and all over the world, as well as on Broadway. In 2003, Mr. Wilson made his professional stage debut in his one-man show, How I Learned What I Learned. Mr. Wilson's works garnered many awards including Pulitzer Prizes for Fences (1987); and for The Piano Lesson (1990); a Tony Award for Fences; Great Britain's Olivier Award for Jitney; as well as eight New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Piano Lesson, Two Trains Running, Seven Guitars, Jitney, and Radio Golf. Additionally, the cast recording of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom received a 1985 Grammy Award, and Mr. Wilson received a 1995 Emmy Award nomination for his screenplay adaptation of The Piano Lesson. Mr. Wilson's early works included the one-act plays The Janitor, Recycle, The Coldest Day of the Year, Malcolm X, The Homecoming and the musical satire Black Bart and the Sacred Hills.

Mr. Wilson received many fellowships and awards, including Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships in Playwrighting, the Whiting Writers Award, 2003 Heinz Award, was awarded a 1999 National Humanities Medal by the President of the United States, and received numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities, as well as the only high school diploma ever issued by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. He was an alumnus of New Dramatists, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a 1995 inductee into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and on October 16, 2005, Broadway renamed the theater located at 245 West 52nd Street - The August Wilson Theatre. Additionally, Mr. Wilson was posthumously inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2007.

Mr. Wilson was born and raised in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lived in Seattle, Washington at the time of his death. He is immediately survived by his two daughters, Sakina Ansari and Azula Carmen Wilson, and his wife, costume designer Constanza Romero.

Ron OJ Parson (Director) is a native of Buffalo, New York and a graduate of the University of Michigan's professional theatre program. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of the Onyx Theatre Ensemble of Chicago, and a co-founder and co-director of Ripe Mango Productions Film and Television Production Company. Ron currently resides in Chicago, Illinois and is a Resident Artist at the Court Theatre. Since moving to Chicago, Illinois from New York in 1994, Ron has worked as both actor and director. Some of the theatres Ron has worked with in Chicago include The Chicago Theatre Company, Victory Gardens, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Dramatists, Northlight, Court, Black Ensemble Theatre, ETA Creative Arts Foundation and Writers Theatre. Some of the regional theatres include Virginia Stage Company, Portland Stage Company, Studio Arena Theatre, Studio Theatre, Roundabout Theatre, Wilshire Theatre, The Mechanic, Center Stage and, most recently, The Actors Theatre of Louisville. An accomplished actor, some of Ron's TV and film credits include ER, Early Edition, Turks, American Playhouse, Vamping, Ali, Barbershop 2, Primal Fear, and Drop Squad.

Tyla Abercrumbie (Berniece) made her Court Theatre debut in Flyin' West. Regional credits include: Magnolia at Goodman Theatre, Radio Golf at Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Short Shakespeare! Romeo & Juliet at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, The Piano Lesson at Portland Stage Company, Intimate Apparel at Milwaukee Repertory, Ariadne's Thread at Victory Garden Theatre, A Raisin in the Sun at Studio Arena, Jitney at St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre and Four Queen No Trump at Onxy Theatre Company. Television Credits: The Beast, Family Practice,The Tracy Morgan Show, Bette, Cupid, and Turks. Film Credits: Poker House, Time Served, Mary & Jo. Ms. Abercrumbie is also a published author and Spoken Word performance artist. She holds a BA in Theatre from Columbia College.

Ronald L. Conner (Boy Willie) made his Court Theatre debut in The First Breeze of Summer. Other Chicago credits include Short Shakespeare! Romeo & Juliet and Short Shakespeare! The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), The African Company Presents Richard III and Deep Azure (Congo Square Theatre), The Oresteia (Greasy Joan & Co.), Black Caesar and 2005 Young Playwrights Festival (Pegasus Players), and Short Eyes (Urban Theatre Co.). Regional credits include The Piano Lesson (Portland Stage), Macbeth, The River Niger, and Joe Turner's Come and Gone (St. Louis Black Repertory Company). He is an ensemble member at Congo Square Theatre Company.

Allen D. Edge (Avery) has worked with the Goodman Theatre, e.t.a. Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre, the Black Ensemble Theatre Company, Portland Stage Company, First Stage Children's Theater, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. He has performed stand-up comedy at Zanies Chicago, Comedy Central's "Comic Justice," the Comedy Café, and Jokes & Notes. He was also featured in Barber Shop 2 and Tyler Perry's "Meet the Browns." Allen has a B.A. in Theatre from Columbia College Chicago.

China Gray (Maretha) has been in numerous radio and television commercials, print ads, and plays. She has performed on Carnival Cruise Line and Disney MGM Studios in Orlando. She also models professionally, recently in Tommy Hilfiger's Fashion Show.

Alexis J. Rogers (Grace) is making her Court Theatre debut with The Piano Lesson. She recently closed the world premiere of Brian Tucker's St. James Infirmary with Congo Square Theatre Company, of which she is an ensemble member. Other credits include: Black Nativity, Ragtime (Sarah), Don't Make Me Over (Dionne Warwick), and Seven Guitars (Ruby), to name a few. Alexis received her formal training at Howard University.

A.C. Smith (Doaker) has appeared at Court Theatre in The First Breeze of Summer and Fences. He is always happy to return to a company that allows an actor to grow and be challenged at the same time. His portrayal of Troy Maxon in August Wilson's Fences (Court) earned him the prestigious Jeff Award for lead actor in a drama. Other Chicago credits include work at the Victory Gardens Theatre, where he has been a part of many productions over the past twenty years. He has appeared at Timeline Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, The Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, Illinois Theatre Center, Second City, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater to name a few. He was last seen in Gem of the Ocean at the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati. Mr. Smith can also be seen performing at his second home, the St. Louis Black Repertory Company, where he has been an active member for more than fourteen years and won nine Woody King Jr. awards. He played Boy Willie in the National Broadway Tour of The Piano Lesson, as well as the title role in the New Federal Theatre's production of Jelly Belly off Broadway, which earned him an Audelco Award nomination. A.C. has appeared in many independent and feature films, radio, voice overs, television, and commercials, and has done print work for Ebony and Jet magazines. He has a B.F.A in theatre from Columbia College in Chicago. "May God Bless."

M. Alettie Smith (Maretha) makes her Court Theatre debut with The Piano Lesson. She has studied and performed with The Second City, Lookingglass Theatre, Light Opera Works, Chicago Children's Choir, Chicago Theater Company, and Paradise Releasing Group. She recently co-starred in the PBS series "Dragonfly TV" and starred in The People's Jazz Theater's Raven: A Kwanzaa Tale. M. Alettie intends to leave a legacy for the world through her passion for acting.

Brian Weddington (Lymon) returns to Court Theatre, where he last appeared as Nate in The First Breeze of Summer. He is an instructor of theatre at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he also received his B.A. in theater. Continuing his studies at Rutgers University earned him an M.F.A in acting. His professional acting career is extensive and varied with theatrical, film, and television work throughout the United States and abroad. Some of his creative works include the hit movie Barber Shop 2, ABC's One Life to Live, The People Who Could Fly (National Black Arts Theater Festival), The Darker Face of the Earth and Thieves Carnival (Kennedy Center), the latter of which was performed in Moscow. He has instructed at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Chicago Public Schools Advanced Arts Education Program at Gallery 37, After School Matters, Upward Bound, Project CHANCE, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is the Principal Director and Co-Founder of the HHW School for the Performing Arts, and is presently writing a book of monologues for youth and a book of scenes and monologues from the Christian experience. He thanks God for allowing him the opportunity to share his gift.

Alfred H. Wilson (Wining Boy) returns to Court Theatre in The Piano Lesson. Recent credits include August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf (Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati), and Radio Golf (Pittsburgh Public Theatre). Chicago credits include Bourbon at the Border (Eclipse Theatre), Panther Burn (MMPAACT), Jitney and Two Trains Running (Pegasus Players), where he was awarded a Jeff Citation as best actor. He has also worked at the Goodman Theatre and Victory Gardens Theatre, and is a co-founder of Onyx Theatre Ensemble.

Previews are May 7 - May 15, 2009. The opening press performance is on Saturday, May 16, 2009, at 8:00 p.m. Curtain times are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. with Saturday matinees at 3 p.m.(beginning May 23); Sundays at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Post-show discussions with the audience are held following each preview performance.

Ticket prices are $32 to $40 for preview performances; $38 to $60 for regular run performances. Tickets are available at the Court Theatre box office, 5535 South Ellis; or by calling 773.753.4472 or online at www.CourtTheatre.org. Student and senior discounts available. Groups of 10 or more may purchase tickets by calling Milan Pejnovich at 773.834.3243.

The Piano Lesson is sponsored by The Joyce Foundation

About Court Theatre
Court Theatre, the professional theatre in residence at the University of Chicago, is located at 5535 S. Ellis Ave. in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. To purchase single tickets for The Piano Lesson or to receive more information about Court Theatre, please call the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472, or visit Court's website at www.CourtTheatre.org.

Court Theatre's 54th Season, under the leadership of Artistic Director Charles Newell and Executive Director Dawn J. Helsing, is generously supported by Richard and Barbara Franke, Hyde Park Bank, The Joyce Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Polk Brothers Foundation, Shubert Foundation, and the University of Chicago. Court Theatre is also funded in part by grants from CityArts Program IV of the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs; and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Fact Sheet
Master playwright August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play is the 1930s entry in his monumental 20th Century play cycle. A rich family history with origins in slavery is carved into the wood of the piano that could be Boy Willie's ticket to self-sufficiency or Berniece's legacy to her daughter. The Piano Lesson is the story of two siblings' struggle to come to terms with their inheritance and the ghosts of their dead.

Title: The Piano Lesson
Written by: August Wilson
Directed by: Ron OJ Parson
Dates: Previews: May 7 - May 15, 2009
Press opening: Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 8 PM
Regular run: May 17 - June 7, 2009

Schedule: Wednesdays & Thursdays: 7:30 p.m.
Fridays: 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. (beginning May 23) & 8:00 p.m.
Sundays: 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 South Ellis, Chicago, IL 60637.
Tickets: $32-$54
Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or online www.CourtTheatre.org

NOTES OF INTEREST:

• Playwright August Wilson's best known literary legacy is the ten play series, The Pittsburgh Cycle, also known as the Century Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama. Each of the Cycle's works is set in a different decade, depicting the comic and tragic aspects of the African American experience in the twentieth century.

• Court Theatre Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson has directed a number of Wilson's plays including Gem of the Ocean, Radio Golf and The Piano Lesson. Parson directed The Piano Lesson at the Portland Stage Company in Portland, Maine for its 2007-2008 season starring A.C. Smith, M. Alettie Smith, Allen D. Edge, China Gray, Ronald L. Conner, and Alexis J. Rogers all in the current Court Theatre production. Parson also directed The Piano Lesson at Congo Square Theatre marking the Company's inuagural production, which August Wilson himself attended.

• Ron OJ Parson directed Wilson's Fences at Court Theatre in 2006 and is slated to open the company's 55th season with Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in September 2009.

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